Psalms 11:1

For the music director; by David. In the Lord I have taken shelter. ²  How can you say to me, ³  “Flee to a mountain like a bird! ⁴ 

For the director of music. Of David. In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: "Flee like a bird to your mountain.

<<For the choir director. A Psalm of David.>> In the LORD I take refuge; How can you say to my soul, "Flee as a bird to your mountain;

<<For the choir director: A psalm of David.>> I trust in the LORD for protection. So why do you say to me, "Fly to the mountains for safety!

I've already run for dear life straight to the arms of GOD. So why would I run away now when you say, "Run to the mountains;

<For the chief music-maker. Of David.> In the Lord put I my faith; how will you say to my soul, Go in flight like a bird to the mountain?

In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to me, "Flee like a bird to the mountains;

<<To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.>> In the LORD I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, "Flee as a bird to your mountain"?

For the music director; by David. In the Lord I have taken shelter. ²  How can you say to me, ³  “Flee to a mountain like a bird! ⁴ 

¹ sn Psalm 11. The psalmist rejects the advice to flee from his dangerous enemies. Instead he affirms his confidence in God’s just character and calls down judgment on evildoers.

² tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.

³ tn The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.

⁴ tc The MT is corrupt here. The Kethib (consonantal text) reads: “flee [masculine plural!] to your [masculine plural!] mountain, bird.” The Qere (marginal reading) has “flee” in a feminine singular form, agreeing grammatically with the addressee, the feminine noun “bird.” Rather than being a second masculine plural pronominal suffix, the ending כֶם- (-khem) attached to “mountain” is better interpreted as a second feminine singular pronominal suffix followed by an enclitic mem (ם). “Bird” may be taken as vocative (“O bird”) or as an adverbial accusative of manner (“like a bird”). Either way, the psalmist’s advisers compare him to a helpless bird whose only option in the face of danger is to fly away to an inaccessible place.